Month: January 2015

“Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories”….from “An Affair to Remember”

During these frosty days, what warms your heart? Is it family, friends and films (in no particular order?)

As we coolly coast out of the month of January (and into an even chillier unit of time) we can expect our warmhearted warriors on the big-screen battlefield to heat up those long winter nights happily spent at the movies (where time stands still, preventing the stars from aging). Will the ironically aging but hotter-than-ever “American Sniper” capture even more prisoners (a.k.a. audience members) this weekend? Is “The Boy Next Door,” neighborly but nasty sort that he is, in line to become the hottest, next best (box-office) thing? Can cuddly “Paddington” find an even warmer reception? How long can “The Wedding Ringer” keep up pretenses in the cinematic reception line? Does he have a prayer of running circles around the mysterious “Mortdecai” or the rest of the storytelling lineup? Perhaps the answers we seek lie within the time-obsessed “Project Almanac.”

No worries, our winter cast have their own timeless, storytelling project to tell, sure to inspire the warmest of memories during the chilliest of times.

Our “American Sniper” continued to kill his competition, coming in tops once again at the domestic box office with $64.3 million. “The Boy Next Door” was welcomed to the friendly neighborhood of #2 with $15 million. One door down was adorable “Paddington,” who was adopted by a more wholesome crowd at the #3 place with $12.3 million. “The Wedding Ringer” was pledging to honor and amuse his guests from the #4 area with $11.6 million. “Taken 3” was still taking audiences by storm, rounding out the top five with $7.6 million.

Star Power was properly displayed at the movies this weekend. Cooper (with a little help from Eastwood) enlightened, Lopez loved the wrong boy, Kidman was kid-friendly (while being villainous) and Hart had humor while action extraordinaire Neesen clearly knew no bounds.

Which of our boundless adventures captured your concentration this weekend?

Audiences can expect to be “Taken (3)” on the most amazing tour this weekend, from the brutal battlefields, the likes of London and the streets of “Selma,” the imaginative journey will find us awed, amused and at times confused, as we dodge government officials and creepy (but neighborly) “The Boy Next Door” only to encounter wandering wedding guests (who realize a little too late that the “Cake” being served is of the dramatic as opposed to delicious variety).

Will the all-mighty “American Sniper” continue to deliciously murder the competition once again at the movies while “The Wedding Ringer” wins the war on the comedic front? Might adorable “Paddington” find an even bigger home on the big screen and a more welcoming family? The magnetic “Mortdecai” will be doing his artistic best to steal the show and capture his own fan base as “Strange Magic” hopes to produce weird but wonderful results.

Expect to find magical colors and extraordinary happenings at your local movie theater this weekend, where the strange but surreal have found the happiest of homes!

Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” in his All-American way, made the greatest of January killings at the domestic box office this weekend, coming in first with a record-shattering $90.2 million. Adding humor to the mix, Kevin Hart’s “The Wedding Ringer” made an amusing guest from the faraway #2 place with $21 million. Lost “Paddington” found a family-friendly home at the cozy #3 spot with $19.2 million. After spending their first week at the numero uno spot, Liam Neeson and company were being “Taken (3)” straight to the #4 land with $14 million. “Selma” was educating the movie masses from the #5 zone with $8.3 million.

Wild times were experienced this weekend at the movies, with a former killing machine telling the biggest story. Proving there was something for everyone, a bit of wit was blended into the movie mix, while animation, action and activism also found a profitable place to tell their timeless tale.

Which of our various tales made time stand still for you this weekend?

After getting activist-type advice courtesy of “Selma,” will the “American Sniper” get a new lease on life at the movies? Will the so-called Legend be “Taken (3)” on a hero’s journey, venturing courageously “Into the Woods” for an inventive respite from life’s harsh realities? Surely the fragile yet “Unbroken” trail he travels will offer him perspective on his dramatic existence. Luckily, he can count on dependable “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” standing watch as he recoups. Lovable “Paddington,” meanwhile, is watching the world go by on an imaginative, albeit more family-friendly adventure of his own, dodging the taxidermist much like the Navy seal dodged bullets. Last but not least, there’s Kevin Hart’s “The Wedding Ringer,” who hopes to dodge all that drama on his way to becoming the funniest box-office guest.

Expect make-believe to collide with reality this weekend on the Big Screen, where only the strongest (i.e. most entertaining) will survive.

Will our new-in-town characters be dodging their competition on the way to ultimate box office survival (or at the very least make the best of dysfunctional friends?)

Audiences were “Taken 3” to new movie heights this weekend at the movies, taking Liam Neeson’s third episode of the profitable franchise to the top spot at the domestic box office with $40.4 million. Civil rights, and “Selma,” had their say from the #2 place with $11.2 million. Music admirers wandered “Into the Woods” for a fairytale spin and came out at the #3 land with $9.7 million. “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” braved the wars from the #4 position with $9.4 million. Based-on-a-true-story lovers felt resiliently “Unbroken” at the #5 zone with $8.3 million.

Story-loving spirits were soaring this weekend, Taken in by the colorful scenery while inspiring those inevitable sequels and obligatory dramas. Comedy, clearly, has taken a back cinematic seat, as action, activists, World War II heroes and enchanted beings stepped up to bring life to the Big Screen.

Will audiences by “Taken 3” times over this weekend at the movies, where hostages for the taking hope to hold up against hobbits long in the making? Will the aforementioned “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies” be up for that powerful Liam Neeson challenge? Maybe moviegoers will be too taken by the rest of the entertainment waiting along that “Unbroken” trail leading “Into the Woods” to notice those heavy hitters. Of course, there’s no telling where a day at the movies followed by a “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” will mysteriously lead. Perhaps it will show the way to dark, horrifying secrets waiting to be told by “The Woman in Black: Angel of Death.” “Selma,” the dark damsel will soon realize, also packs a mean movie punch and is in rare form her opening weekend as she takes on the deadly angel (and a disarming Angelina).

Will movie lovers be taken to dramatic lands, where our latest characters are waiting to crush last week’s competition? Only movie time will tell…